Refrigerator latch



y 15, 1941. L. L. ANDERSON REFRIGERATOR LATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledDec. 30, 1940 n uson July 15, 1941. L. ANDERSON REFRIGERATOR LATCH FiledDec. so, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Lio d L. An exam Max M Gin-H1 A'mvgzgPatented m, 15, 1941 umrso sra'r REFRIGERATOR LATCH Lloyd L' Anderson,

Winters & Crampton Grandville, Mlcln, asslgnor to Corporation,Grandville,

Mich a corporation oflllichigan Awl cotion'Dcoember 30, 1e40, Serial No.372,222

' v12 Claims. (01. 292-122) This invention relates to latches ofparticular utility for releasably holding refrigerator doors in closedposition.

Refrigerator latches in which a latch-bolt is connected with a togglelever structure are wellknown. Such toggle lever structures are subjectto the defect that in operation from one position to another a noise isproduced. This is particularly detrimental in refrigerators which aremade almost entirely of metal, as is becoming very common practice. Whenthe refrigerators and particularly the doors thereof included wood frame'ork the noise produced by the latch in its one tions was to some extentdeadened by the sound deadening properties of the wood used. But inrefrigerators-in which the doors are made substantially all of metalincluding steel framework, the undesirable sound is very pronounced andis accentuated rather than deadened. v 1

The present invention isdirected to a novel improvement in refrigeratorlatches whereby the movement oilthe latch bolt is slowed up and brakedthereby eliminating the quickaction of the spring actuated leverconstruction which has been productive oi the undesirable noise whichhas been described. With my invention the noise is greatly reduced orcompletely eliminated and is not noticeable.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the followingdescription ofone preferred tom of structure which I have devised. takenin connection with the accompanying drawings disclosing the same, inwhich,

Fig. l is a fragmentary horizontal section through a doorfwith the latchof my invention mounted thereon and shown in plan.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the latch substantially midwaybetween its upper and lower sides and showing the latch bolt partiallyretracted.

Pig. 3 is a similar horizontal sectionwith the latch bolt in itsfarthest outer position and'with the inner portion of the toggle leverconstruc-. tion shown in plan.

Fig.1: is an elevation of the latch looking against its inner side.

Fig. 5 is an opposite side elevation of the latch.

Fig. 6- is a vertical section through the latch shown in Fig. 1 betweenits opposite inner. and, outer sides, and

Fig. '1 is a perspective view of the latch bolt and attached togglelever and brake construction.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in e the diflerent figuresof the drawing.

The structural embodiment of the latch includes a sheet metal supportingcasing or hous ing made preferably from a single piece of metal andformed with two spaced apart sides 9 connected at their inner endportions by an integral cross plate 2, the opposite edge portions of thesides I being bent laterally at right angles to provide attachingflanges 3. Each of the sides I at its inner end portion is formed with acurved flange 4, which flanges extend toward each other and againstwhich brakes hereafter described are adapted to bear under certainconditions of the latch operation. Integral fingers B, one on each ofthe flanges l extend toward each other.

as shown.

The latch bolt is mounted for pivotal movement between the two sides Iat the ends thereof opposite the brake flanges 4. A lever made outer endportion of .a flat bar ll of metal which at its opposite end portion isformed with a triangular like head l2. A coiled compression spring I!surrounds the bar. ll hearing at one end against the shoulders providedby the head I! as shown, and at the other end against the pin 9. It isapparent that with the bar ii held against longitudinal o1: pivotalmovement the latch bolt may be turned in clockwise direction (Figs. 2and 3) about the pivot pin 8 by forcing it in a direction to compressthe spring It with the pin 9 traversing the slot It. The arm ii formsone member of a toggle lever which at its head I! is pivotally connectedwith a knuckle pin ll. The other parts of the toggle lever constructioncomprise two spaced apart lever members ii of flat metal which areconnected each at one end to the pin it and are mounted to turn about arod i5 securely fixed at its ends in the sides I of the housing andextending between said sides. Each of the lever members I8 pro- Jectsinwardly beyond the rod l6 and terminates in two spaced apartprojections l1 and II with a concave socket between them. Coiled torsionsprings it are mounted upon and located around the rod I5 and have theirend portions bearing against the fingers 5 and a pin 20 which extendswith a projection 22 as shown, which normally engages against one end ofits adjacent brake flange 4. These disks at portions of their curvededges lie within the inner curved sides the brake flanges I. The normalposition of the latch parts is that shown in Fig. 3, the projections 221 against the brake flanges 4 providing stops as is evident. Theopenings through the lever members I6 andthe braking disk members 2| areslightly larger in diameter than the exterior diameter of the rod I asshown at ISa in Fig. 3.

The latch construction which has been described in practice is mountedbetween the inner and outer sides of a steel door D (Fig. 1) on'abracket fixture 23 of metalwhich is permanently secured within the bodyof the door, the attaching flanges 3 being secured to the bracket. Thebracket includes in its structure spaced integral arms 26 passing oneabove and the other below the latch casing which at its inner endportion is located between said arms. A crank 25 is formed from asuitable length of rod-like material and is provided with-aU-shapedportion 26 seated in the sockets between the projections. I1 andIt on the lever members I6. A handle 21 is shown as disposed at theouter side of the door D and is pivotally mounted at one end at 28 on astudsecured to the door. The opposite end of the handle is connectedwith a rod 29 which extends through the front side of the door and has aflattened portion 280 connected with one end of the crank 25. A coiledspring 30 is located around the rod 29 and is compressed when a pull isexerted upon the handle 21 to swing the crank 25 in a counter-clockwisedirection (Fig. 1)

The associated side C of the refrigerator casing is provided with asuitable keeper 3! of a conventional construction in the recess of whichthe keeper engaging member i of the latch bolt is designed to bereceived. This keeper has the usual head with an inclined surface andthe part i of the bolt is provided with a. rounded or cam surface toride against the inclined surface of the keeper, whereby in closing thedoor the latch bolt is swung clockwise from the position shown in Fig. 3so as to compress the spring I3 until the nose of the keeper is reachedwhereupon the part i will be forced by the compressed spring i3 into therecess of the keeper as shown in Fig. 1.

The latch bolt is retracted by pulling upon the handle 2? therebyturning the disks 2| counterclockwise and withdrawing the latch bolt soas to disengage from the keeper 3i. In closing the door the toggle levermembers II and I6 being located in a position so that the center linesof occasionally is not out to the full position as shown in Fig. 2 withthe spring I 3 partly compressed. -This provides a force which moves theinner portion of the toggle lever structure to the right (Fig. 3) andbrings the curved edges of the disk 2| against the inner curved sides ofthe flanges 4. This produces a friction bearing of the edges of the diskagainst the flanges 4 whereby when the handle is pulled to retract thelatch a brake is put on the retracting movement, slowing up suchmovement and eliminating the quick striking of the movable parts of thelatch boltstructure against the supporting casing or housing thereforand obviating noises which would be accentuated or increased whentransmitted from the metal housing to the metal door. i

The construction has been built and fully tested under serviceconditions to a degree in in actual use. It has proven particularlyeflective for the noise eliminating purposes for which it was designed.

. The manual operation of the latch for opening the door may be made inmany ways, and the one disclosure made is not to be considered in anyway limiting the use of the invention thereto. This invention isdirected to the latch structure and is not concerned with anyparticularly manually operated mechanism for operating it. I

The claims are directed to the latch structure itself and not to theoperating means. The invention is defined in the appended claims-and isto be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming withintheir scope.

I claim:

1. A latch structure comprising, a housing having spaced apart sides,each side at one end thereof being inwardly turned to provide a curvedbraking flange, a latch bolt movably mounted on the housing, latchoperating means connected with the bolt at one end and mounted forrotation at its opposite'end including disks having edges thereoflocated within said curved braking flanges, said rotatable disks beingmounted for a limited bodily movement toward said flanges upon theapplication of pressure against the latch bolt, thereby bringing theedges of said disks into retarding frictional engagement against saidbraking flanges.

2. In a latch structure, a supporting casing.

having spaced parallel sides and including a fixed braking flange, alatch bolt movably mounted on said casing, a rod extending through thecasing, a bar forming one member of a'toggle lever connected with thelatch bolt at one end, a second member of the toggle lever structuremounted upon said rod for rotative movement thereabout,

said members of the toggle lever having a pivotal connection at adjacentends, and a. disk mounted on the second toggle lever member having acurved edge'located within the braking flange, said second toggle levermember and disk through which said rod passes having openings for thepassage'of the rod slightly greater in diameter than the exteriordiameter of the rod.

3. A latch comprising a casing having spaced parallel sides,'each ofwhich at one end is turned inwardly to provide curved braking flangesextending toward each other, a. rod mounted on and extending between thesides of the casing having an axis substantially coincident with thecenters of curvature of said flanges, a pair of spaced apart flat metalmembers rotatably mounted on said rod, a pin connecting said members atone end, a disk secured at the outer side of each of said members andthrough which said rod passes, said disks having curved edge portionslying within said braking flanges, a bar pivotally mounted at one end onsaid pin, a latch bolt movably mounted on said casing and con-. nectedwith said bar, the openings through said members and attached disksbeing slightly greater in diameter than the exterior diameter of the rodpassing through.

4. A construction containing the elements in combination defined inclaim 3, combined with spring means acting upon said members andattached disks to turn them in one direction, and a projection extendingfrom a disk to come against one end of a braking flange to stop saidturning movement at a predetermined position.

5. A construction containing the elements in combination defined inclaim 3, combined with means for pivotally mounting said latch boltbetween the sides of, the casing, said bar having a slot in its endportion nearest said latch bolt, a pin connected with the latch boltpassing through said slot, and a coiled spring'bearing' at one endagainst the latch bolt and at its opposite end against said bar; I

6. A construction containing the elements in combination defined inclaim 3, each of said members at the opposite end thereof being formedwith a socket for the reception of a means for manually turning saidmembers and attached disks about the rod on which they are mounted.

7. A latch comprising, a casing having spaced f apart connected sides,each of said sides at one end thereof being turned inwardly and formed'as acurved braking flange, a "rod extending bethe other of said pins,said bar adjacent its 3 end thereof on said casing, a pin extendingadjacent the ends thereof opposite the ends on which the braking flangesare positioned, means for pivotally mounting said latch bolt at onethrough said latch bolt between its ends and passing through the slot insaid bar, and a coiled spring surrounding said bar bearing at one endagainst the bolt, said bar being provided with a head at its oppositeend having shoulders against which the opposite end of the spring bears.

8. A latch comprising, a housing, a latch bolt movably mounted on saidhousing, a pair of toggle levers connected to said latch bolt and saidhousing, a spring. acting to extend said latch bolt, means for manuallymoving the toggle levers to retract the-latch bolt and a brake connectedwith one of said toggle levers to retard movement of the latch bolt.

" 9: The elements in combination defined in claim 8, in which saidspring acting to extend said latch bolt also acts to exert pressure onsaid brake.

.. 10. A latch comprising, a housing, a latch bolt -movably mounted onthe housing, a pair of toggle levers pivotally connected to said latchbolt and tosaid housing, manual means'for moving said toggle levers inout of line position for retracting-said latch bolt and a brakeconnected with one of said toggle levers and bearing against saidhousing acting to retard movement of the tween and mounted at its endson said 'side's with the axis of the rod substantially coincident withthe centers of curvature of said flanges, two spaced apart flat memberspivotally mounted on said rod, a disk secured at the outer side of eachof said members, each of said diskshaving a-projection thereon, twospaced apart pins on opposite sides of said rod connecting the membersand disks in firm relation to eachother, torsion spring means :mountedon said rod engaging at one end with one of said pins and. at the'otherend with the casing adapted to turn said members and connected disks ina direction to bring the projections on the disk each against one end ofits associated brake flange,

said members and disks having openings therelatch bolt.

1'1.' The elements in combination defined in 'claim 10, combined with aspring acting to ex tend said latch bolt said spring also exertingbraking pressure between said brake and said housing.

12. A latch comprising, a housing, a'latch bolt movably mounted on'thehousing, a pair of toggle levers, one having a loose pivotal connectionwith said housing and the other having a sliding connection with. thelatch bolt, a brake connected to and rotatable with saidv first namedtoggle lever and having frictional engagement with said housing and acompression spring having one end bearing against said latch bolt andthe other end bearing against said second named toggle lever, saidspring acting to extend saidlatch bolt and to exert frictional pressureon said brake against said housing.

LLOYD L. ANDERSON.

